Monthly Archives: May 2013

For many parents, the end of the school year is a jubilant time of celebration and planning fun and relaxing summer activities and vacations with their families.

But for families living with children who have special needs like autism or Aspergers Syndrome, it can be a time that creates more than just a bit of anxiety at the prospect of spending more time together during the day. Often summer time translates to lots of additional work and effort on the part of parents to manage their children’s activities and guide behavior. Add therapy sessions into the mix and suddenly the summer schedule can become quite exhausting!

These are days when parents need encouragement the most. We need to be reminded that all the work and effort and therapy bills do make a difference for our children.

In that spirit, we wanted to share one of our favorite stories that we think really reinforces the notion that all that we do is NOT in vain. Carly Fleishmann is a young girl living with autism. She is non verbal, and until she was 11 years old, she did not communicate. But, through the relentless dedication of her parents and therapists, she has broken through and has made an amazing connection with the world around her using electronic communication tools. And the things she says – the insights that she is giving to what is really going on inside the mind of a person living with autism – is astonishing!

“People look at me and assume I am dumb because I cannot talk.” — Carly Fleishmann

Learn more about her story at her website: Carly’s Voice
Also, this news story: Girl with Autism – that aired last year on ABC’s 20/20 tells more about Carly’s incredible story!

What does your summer routine look like with your special needs child home from school?